India’s military doctrine has shifted decisively, embedding drones into the very lowest levels of combat formations.

Operation Sindoor proved that unmanned systems were no longer auxiliary assets but frontline tools, performing as much of the real work as fighter jets and missiles.

The Army has now institutionalised this lesson, ensuring that drones are integral to every arm of the force.

Nearly 385 infantry battalions are being equipped with their own Ashni platoons. Each platoon carries ten drones, four dedicated to surveillance and six configured as kamikaze loitering munitions. This means a frontline company commander no longer needs to route a strike request up the chain of command.

He can identify a target and neutralise it directly from his own position, compressing the decision cycle and enhancing battlefield autonomy.

The armoured corps has introduced Shaurya Squadrons, tested during Exercise Amogh Jwala near Jhansi. These squadrons embed drone crews directly into tank regiments operating T-90s and Arjuns. Armour now has its own eyes and strike capability, independent of higher formations.

Artillery units are similarly reinforced with Divyastra batteries, integrating drones into gun positions for precision targeting. Light infantry formations are being restructured into Bhairav commando battalions, designed for rapid, drone-integrated operations. None of these exist in isolation; they are all part of a unified doctrine where every arm possesses its own organic drone layer rather than borrowing one.

Behind this tactical rollout lies a major procurement drive. India is fast-tracking 87 indigenous Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) drones, with at least 60 percent local content.

This marks the first time private manufacturers have been awarded a MALE contract at such scale, breaking decades of reliance on Israeli imports. MALE drones can loiter for hours over border stretches, conducting surveillance and precision strikes without requiring nearby runways.

DRDO’s catalogue now exceeds a hundred platforms. Archer-NG, initially a surveillance drone, is being armed with precision bombs and air-to-air missiles, enabling it to both monitor and destroy targets. Ghatak, the stealth combat drone, is designed to penetrate enemy air defences and strike deep without risking pilots.

TAPAS-BH is India’s indigenous long endurance surveillance platform for the Line of Actual Control and Line of Control. All three are progressing from prototype to induction. Above them sits the High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) class, capable of flying higher and staying airborne for days, monitoring vast stretches of ocean or border.

India does not yet have an indigenous HALE ready, so leased American MQ-9B SeaGuardians currently fill the gap, flying above 50,000 feet over the Indian Ocean while domestic HALE programs advance.

A drone force is incomplete without counter-drone measures. Akashteer, the Army’s automated air defence grid, links radars, guns and missile batteries into a single network. It was proven during Operation Sindoor, working alongside the IAF’s Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS) and the Navy’s Trigun to intercept Pakistani drones and rockets with minimal damage.

The newly cleared Akash Tarang system adds another counter-drone layer, supported by upgraded L-70 guns. All these systems are integrated under Mission Sudarshan Chakra, the Prime Minister’s 2035 vision for a layered, AI-enabled national air defence net capable of protecting everything from individual bases to entire cities.

Pakistan is simultaneously attempting to close its own vulnerabilities. Under the Mecca Pact, Islamabad has inducted Turkish Korkut 35mm guns, Sahin counter-UAS turrets and Chinese HQ-17AE missiles. 

This is a direct response to the BrahMos strikes during Sindoor that exposed its air bases. However, reliance on imports alone cannot fully address structural weaknesses in its defence grid.

Satellite imagery reveals Pakistan expanding its electronic warfare footprint along the frontier. A suspected Electronic Support Measures node has appeared at Dadyal in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, just 33 km from the Line of Control. Additional ELINT infrastructure is emerging near hardened shelters at PAF Base Sindhri in Sindh.

Together, these developments suggest Islamabad is building a networked electronic warfare grid to monitor Indian troop movements on one flank and Indian Air Force activity on the other. This directly impacts the drone fight.

Every loitering munition, every Ashni platoon quadcopter, every Akashteer sensor link depends on GPS and radio communications, all of which can be jammed, spoofed or intercepted by a robust EW network. A denser Pakistani EW presence means Indian drone swarms must now operate in more contested electromagnetic environments than during Sindoor.

India is responding with its own electronic warfare capabilities. DRDO’s EW suites on Su-30MKI and Rafale fighters, along with ground-based jamming systems deployed along the LoC and LAC, are as critical as the drones themselves.

They ensure that India’s unmanned systems can continue to operate effectively even in hostile electromagnetic conditions, maintaining dominance in the evolving spectrum war.

Agencies